After a rough month, the Arizona softball team just needed some wins.
Style points were no longer part of the equation after losing five of seven.
This weekendβs four-game sweep of Oregon State included a little bit of everything. Freshman second baseman Allie Skaggs and the offense played the hero role Sunday, as the freshmanβs second career home run provided some breathing room in a 7-5 victory.
βI thought it was great to just show our fight,β Skaggs said. βSometimes the wins arenβt going to be pretty. But this team does a great job of when weβre all on, we just feed off each other and everyone just starts hitting.β
The No. 9 Wildcats (18-5, 3-2) needed every ounce of its offensive might to defeat the Beavers (13-11, 2-4), as Alyssa Denham allowed a season-high five runs.
To her credit, the fifth-year senior sat down the final seven OSU batters in order, rewarding her catcherβs confidence after the coaching staff considered the bullpen.
βShe looked like she was getting tired and getting the ball up, and you donβt want her to go through that if sheβs not all there,β coach Mike Candrea said. βI talked to (catcher Dejah Mulipola), who said she was fine and just to keep her in there.
βThat was a nice shot of confidence for us. It was good for her to battle through it, but we have to be careful weβre not overthrowing.
βIf thereβs one thing this four-game series will do, it can run through your pitching staff very quickly.β
Denham finished with five earned runs on seven hits, one walk and two hit batters, mustering just two strikeouts.
OSUβs familiarity, having faced Denham for nine innings over Friday and Saturday and 17 innings this season overall, played a part in the right-handerβs struggles.
Still, Arizonaβs offense came to the rescue. Jessie Harper did damage without leaving the yard, going 2 for 4 wit
h a double and delivering two RBIs to bring her series total to 10. Leadoff Janelle Meono extended her hit streak to nine games, and Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk.
Mulipola hit her 12th homer of the season to give Arizona a 6-2 lead in the fourth inning. She hit just 12 in each of her freshman and sophomore seasons, and at the rate sheβs going, Mulipola will easily surpass her 2019 total of 23 in 62 games. Remember, Mulipola missed last season while training with the U.S. National Team.
That steady increase in power is somewhat unusual for catchers, even really good ones, because they tend to lose power as they rack up games behind the plate.
βItβs just a lot of rehab,β Mulipola said. βAnd it has a lot to do with the mental part of the game, just blocking out what you feel for the day, because really, it doesnβt matter.
βAs long as Iβm back there, Iβm going to give 100% whether I feel good or not.β
Having recouped at home, Arizona goes back on the road, facing Stanford (22-4, 3-0) in a four-game series starting Thursday.
